Joy in the Pack: A Dog's Perspective

“And here is our problem: we go looking for love in all the wrong places. And when we hear a
message that tells us to not be selfish and to not be prideful and put others
above yourself, we grab ahold of our bowl and say, ‘No way. I can’t live like
that. My love tank will be empty. Who is going to fill up my love tank if I
keep giving it away?’ The answer… Jesus Christ.”

- Pastor Tony Walliser

Read Philippians 2:1-4

I’ve got a favorite spot on the rug.

It’s worn thin where my old bones settle every morning, right where the sunlight spills in like warm
honey. From there, I can see my people — coming and going, talking, laughing,
sometimes bumping into one another like puppies who haven’t quite learned how
to share a toy or a water bowl

A dog learns a lot watching his pack.

I’ve noticed something: joy shows up most clearly when my people are gentle with one another. 

When they pass the leash instead of tugging it. 

When they set the bowl down so everyone can eat. 

When no one is trying to be top dog.

Paul, that wise servant of Jesus, seems to have known this as well.

In Philippians 2:1–4, he doesn’t bark commands — he speaks like a kind master kneeling beside
us. 

He reminds us that if we’ve found any comfort in Christ, any tenderness from the Spirit, any love at
all… then our joy is tied to how we treat one another.

I understand that.

When my family sits together in peace, my tail thumps without being told. 

When there’s tension in the air, my ears go flat and my heart sinks like a dropped biscuit.

Paul says: 

That sounds a lot like a good pack.

He also says something hard for dogs and humans alike — don’t look only to your own interests, but to
the interests of others.

That means sometimes letting your dog sibling get the best spot by the fire.

Sometimes waiting your turn for a treat.

Sometimes setting aside your pride, even when you know you were right about that
squirrel.

Humility, Paul calls it.

I just call it choosing love over growling.

Joy in relationships isn’t found by being the loudest bark or the first to the food. 

It comes when we walk softly beside one another, when we see the person — or the fellow dog — beside
us as someone worth honoring.

When my people do that, I see something holy in their faces. 

And I feel it in my old dog heart.

So today, from my sunny patch on the rug, I’ll watch and pray in my own simple way: 

May your tail wag for others.

May your heart be gentle.

May you make room for someone else at the fire.

Because that’s where joy lives — right in the middle of a loving pack.

Amen

“Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love,
if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then
make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in
spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own
interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 

- Philippians 2:1-4 NIV